Cost of the Crown
by BriarRose WinterRose
Summary: I'm not good with summaries so you'll have to read it in order to find out. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.
1. Before You Begin

Before you begin reading this story, take a look at the bio of the story's main character,

Enjoy!

~*Basic Information*~

Name: Queen Winter Lynette Rose

Nickname: Broken Doll (Comes in later)

Name Changes (If any): Subject 01102932a

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Sexuality: Unknown

Mental state: Unknown

Likes: Books, drawing, playing violin and flute, being outside, wolves, horses. (More to come)

Dislikes: Being forgotten, dark places, and fire.

Personality: Quiet, Strong, Not afraid to speak up for what she believes in. Occasionally, she'll have bouts of memory loss and hysteria. Winter is very protective over her kingdom and is determined to let nothing stop her from doing so.

Back Story: She was known to legend as the last heir to the throne of the kingdom of Britannia before her people rose up against her family and assassinated her parents when she was 8. Before they were able to get to her, a guard that constantly stood at Winter's side defeated them swiftly and caused them to back down from their uprising. However, the guard was not fast enough to reach her in time before a bomb exploded within the castle, killing many inside and almost taking Winter's life. She was left with severe burns and wounds that soon became nothing but scars. Her mind was completely shattered from the events and it took several years before Winter was able to recover. After recovering, at the age of 18, she was crowned Queen of Britannia.


	2. Prologue

The moonlight from above cast a light gray shadow over a stone castle, whose walls seemed to continue on forever. A young girl ran barefoot down a hall towards a large, lavish door that was decorated with gold. The young girl had red eyes the pierced through the darkness and white hair that turned to silver in the pale light. Her pale skin scarcely visible in the darkness of the gown she wore, which went down to the floor. A look of panic was painted on her face as she placed a small hand against the large door to open it, only to hesitate when she heard the shouts and screams of people coming closer.

With all of her might, she pushed against the door and barely managed to get it open. She took a step inside the room, only daring to speak a few words. "Momma? Papa?" She called out in a soft tone, glancing around the dark room in search of her parents. Not a single sound answered her words. She walked further into the room and called for them again, but still no reply. Tears began to form in her eyes as she began to worry about the mother and father. "My Princess! Please, you must leave!" Shouted a voice as a man in armor dashed into the room and stopped right behind her. The guard held a small lit lantern that brightened the room, revealing the horrific scene before them.

Blood splattered the walls and furniture of what seemed to be a bedroom, a large one at that. Two unmoving bodies laid still on the ground, mutilated. The young girl took a small step back in shock before turning fully around and started to run out of the room. The shouts of people and the light from their torches became brighter, from the direction she had run towards. However, her mind was filled with sadness and fear at what she had seen. 'No, momma and papa?!' She thought as she ran, tears streaming down her face.

The guard turned to look at her, but something caught his eye. Alarm lit up his face as he took several steps towards the girl, holding out a hand towards her. "My Princess, WATCH OUT!" The shout caused the girl to stop and turn around to look at him, however, it was too late. What appeared to be a small, flashing disk exploded with a tremendous force, throwing the girl and guard backwards. Her head slammed against the wall as she was thrown back and the whole world around her faded to darkness.


	3. Chapter 1

"Ow! That's too tight!" Winter yelled as a young maid pulled tightly on the strings of her corset dress and tied them together in a bow. She always hated wearing fancy gowns and being all dolled up, but today was an exception. The newly built castle in Britannia, which was nicknamed the Black Rose Palace, was a buzz with excitement. Kings and queens from other lands were coming to the castle to witness the crowning of Princess Winter, which was a long awaited event. The young girl gave a small sigh as the maid bowed her head and apologized for being so rough. "It's alright." She replied softly. "I'm just not used to having to wear so much."

Winter gazed at the mirror in front her, turning slightly to see herself fully. She wore a dark blue and black long sleeve corset dress that went down to her feet, with a similar colored lace choker on her neck. A crown of blue and black colored roses rested on her head as well. The soon-to-be queen sighed again and turned back around to suddenly find that she was alone, for the maid had excused herself and left the bedroom.

'2 more hours…' She thought silently as she turned back to the mirror and rolled up one of her sleeves. Dark burn marks covered part of her arm and seemed to extend upwards toward her neck, indicating a bad memory of her past. "I'll have to forget about it, just for today." Winter said aloud as she rolled the sleeve back down. "After today, everything will change. I'm sure it will change." _Bark!_ She jumped as the sound came from the doorway to her room. Turning around, Winter gave a small laugh as she saw Vixen, the castle's only wolf 'knight'.

"By God, Vixen! You scared the heck out of me!" The wolf gave another loud, excited bark before coming in the room. Vixen was a rather large dark brown wolf with odd black stripes across her back. She was kind and gentle to people around the castle, but the moment anyone says anything that might sound like a threat, Vixen would take care of it, in her own way.

The lively wolf pranced around the room before coming to a stop at Winter's feet, looking up at her with big eyes. Winter gave a small chuckle of amusement and bent down to rub the top of Vixen's head. "Good girl." The wolf gave another excited bark before Vixen turned her broad head toward the door and rose back up onto all fours, hackles raised. Winter blinked in wonder as the wolf gave a defensive growl and stood directly in front of her, as though to protect her. "Vixen, what's wrong with you?" She asked, expecting the wolf to not answer her. A shadow fell across the doorway as a tall figure stood there. Winter took a step back in alarm, more alarmed by the fact that she didn't even hear him approach. Gaining back her composure, she asked loudly, "Who are you?" The figure appeared to be that of a man, whose features were hidden beneath a black, hooded cloak. "Oh, no need to worry, dear." The deep, icy tone in the man's voice sent a shiver down her spine. "You'll find out soon enough, Princess."


	4. Chapter 2

The castle was plunged into total darkness, sending off a panic among the castle's residents. Guards jolted to a ready position, their swords drawn as they tried to peer through the darkness in search of an intruder. A few of them managed to calm some of panic, causing the castle to go eerily silent. A familiar scream echoed down the upstairs hallway, breaking the frightening silence. "Princess!" Two guards darted forward into the darkness as they tried to head toward the source of the scream, not getting very far before tripping over their own feet. "That scream…." One of the guards breathed, his voice shaking with dread. "It can't be…" The guard was cut off by what sounded like a deep, raspy laugh that formed words. "Hehehe. You're all such fools."

The laughter continued for several moments before fading into silence. Lights that hung from the ceilings flickered on, along with the ones mounted on the walls. With the sudden return of light, the two guards who had previously tried to move in the dark picked themselves up, continuing their race for the Princess's chambers. They skidded to a halt in front of the open door and peered inside, their looks of worry only to darken more. There, laying unconscious on the middle of the floor, was their beloved princess.

"Send for the doctor, NOW!" One of the guards shouted as he crouched next to her, placing his hand on her the side of her neck to feel for a pulse. Relieved to find a faded, yet fast pulse, the guard glanced back up at the two guards who remained in the room. "I want both of you to take a group of soldiers and search the castle. The intruder couldn't have gotten very far." The two saluted him before turning to do as he asked. Just as the two guards had left, a maid entered the room, a man dressed in a white cloak following close behind. The guard stood to his feet and stepped back so the man could have a look at her.

"Why haven't you put her in bed yet?" The man scolded, his eyes narrowing in anger and annoyance. The guard only blinked at his words before realizing that he had been ordered to put her in bed. Being careful, he stepped forward and picked the princess up in his arms and walked over to the bed, placing her down softly. Clearly satisfied, the man waved for the guard to leave the room. "I can't work with people staring at me. She needs her rest. Now, leave." The guard bowed to him, turning around to leave. "Please, do what you can to help her. I will be joining the rest of our men to search for this intruder." The man didn't look up from where he was looking her over for injuries. "Best of luck to you."

 _(P.S: Between this chapter and the next, a month time skip will occur. During this time, the doctor managed to wake her up, but he was puzzled by the fact that she wasn't injured, but she had an odd marking surrounding her left eye. This mark looks almost like cracks and seems to give off a pale glow. At this time, no one knows what exactly happened, yet Winter claims that she saw a pale blue light surrounding the hand of her attacker before she collapsed. Also, her coronation took place during this time also. I was just too lazy to write it out XD.)_


End file.
